It seemed fitting that after Zach and I wrapped up our final Community Chickens podcast episode that I name my new chickens after the Golden Girls! That was a suggestion of Zach’s on the show.     You may have gotten a glimpse of my chicken coop in my previous post regarding Bruce. Here’s a […]

With chickens’ popularity at fever-pitch now, thousands of first time chicken keepers will be bringing home chicks for the first time this summer. Unfortunately, if you don’t research your breed correctly you could well end up buying the wrong chicken. You should make sure you understand what makes the ideal chicken breed before you go […]

When chicken math goes to far. So, we have all heard of chicken math. It has claimed us all from one time or another. What happens when the chicken math has gone too far? After six years of adding, adding, and more adding it has become apparent, the addition needs to become subtraction. How do […]

Rolling through the chicken feed aisle at our local farm-supply store can feel a little overwhelming. The “chicken diet” options have come a long way since I first brought home 6 broiler chickens when I was 14 and a bag of cracked corn.   Our local feed store not only carries several brands of chicken […]

By: Candess Zona-Mendola The CDC announced this week that they are investigating a multistate outbreak of multidrug-resistant Salmonella Reading infections linked to raw turkey products. There are 90 confirmed human cases of illness, and 40 of those have been hospitalized. People are sick in 26 states. Confirmed outbreak Illnesses started on dates from November 20, 2017, […]

By: Candess Zona-Mendola Salmonella is to chickens as E. coli is to beef and Vibrio is to seafood. They are bacteria that are typically partnered with a particular animal or group of animals. But did you know chickens have another bacterium that is actually more common than Salmonella? It’s Campylobacter. In fact, Campylobacter is the […]

I originally bought this small manufactured cool to be our Silkie pen. But after seeing how handy it is with our teenage chickens I may decide to buy another one for next year’s teens. What is a grow out pen? A holding place for chickens after they’ve left the brooder but before they’re old enough […]

The Man: Meet Bruce. Bruce is a 4year old Lab/Pug mix. Bruce has a lot of energy, he’s super sweet, loves to play, is always down to cuddle, but doesn’t listen and has killed chickens before. Bruce uses his super speed to patrol all backyard activities. While he spares the neighborhood rabbits, his territory remains […]

How to help combat the summer heat in your flock? Chickens, like so many other animals, have a hard time dealing with drastic climates. Whether extreme cold or heat there are a few things you can do to help them be a little less miserable. Try adding a few of these DIY projects into your […]

Over the years, in my experience keeping chickens, we’ve done both free ranging and keeping them in a confined coop. My preferred method is to let them free range, but right now I have our flock separated in pens by breed for breeding purposes.   What is free ranging?   Free ranging can have a […]